I became aware of an auction / estate sale happening down in Georgia at the end of the month, tipped off by a friend who had previously bought cars from the now-deceased collector. The owner was mostly an American car/truck enthusiast, so the auction lot didn't seem like it'd have much to offer.
Upon watching some videos posted up by the auctioneer, I noticed a car I've been casually hunting for: a late 90s Jaguar XJR sedan, which came with a supercharged V8 engine. Given this thing stood out like a sore thumb amongst numerous Mopar and Chevrolet products, I immediately registered to bid, convinced I would be the only one gunning for this high-powered sedan.
Like I do with every potential purchase, I Googled the VIN. And whoa Momma, did it tell some stories. One result was an archived auction report that showed the XJR was totaled due to flood in South Carolina in October of 2016, which is exactly when this British Racing Green sedan bit the dust. The deceased bought the XJR for $300; why, I don't know. The same archived auction photos showed the water line markings as being high enough to soak the carpets, so with that in mind, I quickly moved on from my British performance car ambitions.
Always Google the VIN!